Marine Corps veteran with a background in UAS operations and intelligence. I’ve spent parts of my civilian life working in industries far removed from the classroom, including underwater welding and heavy-haul trucking. Those experiences have given me a perspective shaped by different environments, different kinds of people, and different definitions of what it means to work, struggle, and live well.

I’m currently finishing my degree in Philosophy, with particular interests in epistemology, consciousness, ontology, and philosophical questions surrounding the existence of God.

My writing approaches these subjects with what I call a “Salty Mindset” direct, skeptical, curious, and willing to question ideas without turning disagreement into hostility. I write about centrist politics, consciousness, ego, suffering, civil liberties, culture, and the areas of common ground that can still exist between people who see the world very differently.

One of my primary goals as a writer is to encourage a less hostile environment for political and philosophical thought. Disagreement does not have to become hatred, and questioning someone’s beliefs does not require rejecting the person holding them. I’m interested in examining the toxic tendencies that appear not only in politics and institutions, but within the everyday individual, including myself.

Much of philosophy begins with reflection. Ego can prevent us from recognizing our own contradictions, biases, attachments, and suffering. Sometimes writing can function as a mirror. My intention is not simply to point that mirror at others, but to turn it toward ourselves and ask what we might be missing.

Hatred, unchecked ego, and ideological certainty can slowly destroy the very communities, relationships, and ways of life we believe we are protecting. I believe there is value in finding the neutral ground where people can think, question, disagree, and still learn from one another.

Outside of writing and philosophy, I spend much of my free time reading or disappearing into the mountains with my Border Collie, MJ (Mary Jane). Depending on the season, you’ll usually find us mountain biking, snowboarding, rock climbing, camping, or looking for somewhere new to explore.

If something I’ve written gives you a question, disagreement, idea, or perspective worth discussing, feel free to reach out.